


At What Cost

by aionimica



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, F/M, Finn Skywalker, Jedi Finn, Padawan Rey, Pining, Queen Leia, The Force Ships It, and possibly a p&p space AU, in which kylo ren is a grumpy senator who has a big crush, just roll with it ok, reluctant pining, rey doesn't get paid enough, senate au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-09 23:23:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8917201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aionimica/pseuds/aionimica
Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a galactic senator who has quite a temper, must be in want of a Jedi protector. “And your mother couldn’t protect you?”...A shadow loomed and Rey looked up. She so terribly didn’t belong here. Kylo Ren looked at here momentarily before turning. When he smiled, it was teeth and venom shrouded with soft brown eyes and gilded robes.“She did. She got you.”





	1. A Most Amiable Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> this is an ongoing drabble prompted series on my tumblr page, but since i'm adding to it, I thought I'd upload it here as well.  
> I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> also, please visit me at [thereminnsonata](https://thereminnsonata.tumblr.com/) on tumblr and feel free to talk to me about this fic or anything! i'm going to start making a pinterest board for this fic and post more things over there. but honestly, your interest in this feeds me and makes me write faster, so come say hi!

Rey stormed down the hall to her master’s rooms, trying to figure out exactly what he would say to the storm of emotions that crackled around her. Probably, he would say some old Jedi nonsense that his father was so fond of: Luke Skywalker’s mannerisms didn’t seem to skip a generation. Finn seemed to favor one in particular - “you seem troubled” - and Rey could just hear him preparing to utter it as the Force turned turbulent around her. **  
**

Better to just stop him before he starts.

“So I finally met your cousin” she said as soon as the door ushered her in, and watched with amusement as the wise words fell from Finn’s mouth.

He definitely wasn’t expecting that.

“What? You did? When?”

“About an hour ago. He’s the senator right?” Rey shrugged off her Jedi robe, letting it pool into a brown heap on the tile floor. Finn sat straight on the recliner and Rey tried not to smile as her master did his best to keep from prying. Or adding commentary to his rather extended family.

“Yeah. For Alderaan. Not that it’s any surprise seeing that Aunt Leia runs the system. I thought he was still off planet for the rest of the year.” His voice descended into a stream of unintelligible words, but Rey definitely made out several utterances of _kriff_.

“Well, not anymore,” Rey said lightly. “I guess you get to deal with one more family member on this lovely planet.”

“Wait, how did you even run into him?”

“Someone left a message for me to come to your aunt’s. She had something she wanted to give you and well. I guess he was stopping by for a family visit.” She walked over and dropped a small package in his lap. “Alderaani chocolates. She said they were your favorite?”

Finn nodded distantly and set the package aside. “Leia always knew how to butter me up,” he mumbled.

“What?”  
  
“Nothing. Did he say anything to you?”

She leaned against the doorframe, her hands twirling a strand of hair. “Nope. He just pointed me in the direction of the door when I got lost.”

_“You don’t belong here,” said a voice with a strong accent Rey couldn’t place. Not quite Coruscanti, not quite Alderaani-_

_She spun around at the suggestion that someone was very close to her and found herself nose to chest with a very richly embroidered waistcoat.  The man it belonged to was just as richly decorated in various finery, with various rings adorning his fingers, a senator’s insignia pinned to his lapel. Swallowing she looked up to find the face of a very amused man with dead brown eyes and the crown of his black hair pulled back into braids._

_“I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I’m lost and-”_

_“That is more than obvious,” he said with a huff and Rey frowned. He turned down the hall, the heel of his boots echoing on the marble. “Staying still isn’t going to get you out of here,” he said._

_Rey reluctantly followed his looming figure down the hall._

“What did he say, Rey?” he asked, a bit more firmly this time.

She looked away and shrugged, dropping her hands to her side. “Nothing.”

“Really?”

She blinked.   

_“You’re Finn’s apprentice?” he asked as they wound through the maze that was Princess Leia Organa’s state apartments (it was a misnomer, she owned the entire building)._

_“I have a few more months before I finish my training,” she said, not daring to look at the senator. Not directly, not from the corner of her eye. Not a glance._

_“Then perhaps you can hope that one of the Skywalkers will let you find an actual teacher after that.” They had stopped only once while he poured himself a glass of Corellian whiskey. Ice chinked in the glass alongside the sound of his boots._

_“I won’t need one,” Rey said firmly. What did he know, this senator, of Jedi business? Even if he was Finn’s cousin - and he probably was, she had overheard enough whispered talks about him when he was off-world - he had no right to comment on her training. He knew nothing. He knew absolutely nothing._

_The senator smiled grimly and lifted the glass to his lips. “So sure of yourself. I’ll let you cross that bridge later. But don’t make promises you can’t keep.”_

“Yeah,” she said. “He’s-”

“Difficult, I know, but there isn’t much-”

“Actually,” Rey said, falling onto the couch, “I was going to say he’s an ass.”

Finn paused and reluctantly nodded. “Yeah, that too.”

She grabbed a pillow and held it in her lap. A bronze statue twisted and curved in delicate arches while ruby spheres balanced between its limbs. She rubbed her fingers on the threads and felt the Force whisper through her ritual, washing over her with a soothing breath.

Finn grinned. “Your relaxation technique is getting better.”

“Maybe I should hang out with your cousin more,” she said with a curt laugh. “It’d give me more opportunity to practice.”

The look that crossed her master’s face was there for just a second, but the echo of it rang in the Force. She almost frowned. Odd.

“Just keep practicing,” he said with his usual ease. “You don’t need him to force your hand. Just do what you’ve been learning and you’ll be fine.”

“Thank you,” she said. A smile finally broke through her defenses at her master’s praise.

_With a hand on the front door, she turned and gave a short (very short) bow. “Thank you for your assistance, senator,” she said briskly and turned to-_

_“Senator Ren,” he clarified, and reached around her to pull the door open. She stared at him in disbelief. First he insults her and_ then _he opens the door for her. The nerve. Does he think he is being generous?_

What was worse was she couldn’t get his face out of her mind. Even now, hours apart and miles away, she still could see his face and the look that was etched on it: a man amused and bemused, irritated beyond belief.

“The feeling is mutual,” she muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. Standing, she made for the door, gathering her robe off the floor. “If we have time, I’m going to freshen up. It’s been a long day.”

Finn nodded. “Luke wants to see us for dinner, but take your time. I’ll let him know we’ll be a little late.”

She grinned. “Planning another family reunion?”

“Please.” Finn raised a hand while the other pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t even joke. Leia will arrange one before the end of the month.”

“I won’t be long,” Rey said and palmed the door shut behind her.

~

She saw his face again when she slept.

And Force, that was so much worse.


	2. A Barely Tolerable Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jedi trials look a lot differently now. Instead of killing a Sith, you have to dance with your master's broody cousin.

Rey couldn’t help the smile that cut across her face. It was credited to many things: pride, for one (being the first Jedi to complete training under the Skywalkers is a label that she will always claim) and the inevitable urge to grin when anyone came up to her and bowed.

But mostly it was the fact that this entire gathering was for her. The orphan girl from Jakku who stumbled onto a Jedi’s freighter now stood in one of Coruscant’s ballrooms that was packed with delegates from countless worlds, just wanting to shake her hand.

Initially, it was overwhelming. The scope of the room was beyond anything she could imagine. The ceilings were vast and painted in such detail that if she stared long enough, she could make out the Little Diamond and the Fisherman among the stars. The recognition made her gasp: the constellations above Alderaan.

“One of the Organa’s state rooms,” Luke whispered as he ushered her inside and caught a glimpse of her open mouth. “The queen thought this one specifically would be a good place to announce the new Jedi.”

Rey swallowed. “It’s a bit much.”

“They do have a taste for the dramatic.” He winked before stepping aside, the rich black fabric of his waistcoat shifting in the evening light.

Rey raised an eyebrow. “Apparently it runs in the family?”

The elderly Jedi winked before shaking his head. “Alderaan has seeped into my sister’s blood, but my mother was from Naboo and they were slightly more understated in their approach to things. I like to think I took from that side of the family.”

Watching him walk away, the trim of his cloak fluttered in his wake and Rey didn’t believe a word he said. If there was anything she learned from Finn, his father was _particularly_ dramatic.

Passing through toasts and seas of shaking hands and eager faces, Rey managed to make it to her seat. The table sat in the back corner of the room, seated on a raised dais, as other partiers mingled around.

“You made it, good. I was afraid you got sidelined on the way.” Finn grinned as Rey took a sip of her wine.

“Almost,” she said. “There were a few senators and a pilot or two that didn’t want to let me go.”

“They’ll get bored eventually,” he said. “They’re still figuring if you can buy Jedi. Eventually they’ll learn and you’ll go back to being nobody.”

“Trust me, I’m enjoying being somebody for now.”

“If I keep smiling anymore, I’m pretty sure my mouth will fall off,” she whispered through clenched teeth. Her master - no, not master, peer - chuckled from behind closed lips.

Finn whispered. “You don’t have to smile _all_ the time.”

“That’s not helpful.”

“It’ll save your cheeks, I’m telling you.”

“Skywalker,” a silky voice said from their side. “Lady Rey.”

Rey turned and her heart stilled as she found the familiar face standing on the steps. “Senator Ren,” she said quietly.

Finn nodded once, doing his best, but failing to keep a scowl from his face. “Kylo.”

One black eyebrow rose, but beyond that, the senator paid his cousin no mind. “I hope you’re enjoying the festivities,” he said to her.

Rey nodded, thankful for the folds of the robe that shouldered her gown as her hands twisted nervously beneath them. “I am, thank you.”

She turned back to Finn, but the senator stepped closer. When she turned again, Rey had to look up to meet his eyes. His black hair was combed back, but aside from two braids across his crown, it fell loose about his face. Brown eyes stared at her, dark and endless enough that for a moment, the ballroom fell away.

“I was wondering if I could have this dance, Lady Rey?”

Immediately following this, Rey realized that she somehow said yes, watched as Luke and a silver haired woman with diamonds in her hair stared at them with not-so-subtle amusement, and found herself standing in the middle of the great room with the hands of the senator on her side.  

A glance back at Finn showed his confusion as he frantically mouthed ‘ _what is happening_?’

Rey wished she had an answer.

Immediately the music picked up and the pair moved across the floor. Rey focused on the buttons on his lapel, both thankful for and trying to ignore the fact that Senator Ren - _Kylo? Was that what Finn had said_ \- was a good dancer. It would have been easier to dislike him if he continually stepped on her toes.

Instead, he drew her around, the two of them a black and cream speck under golden lights and Alderaani stars. His coat was black, but this close, Rey could make out embroidery stitched in dark red thread. Gold rings adorned his fingers, and rough cut gems fell from pendants that hung about his shoulders. Everything about him was in stark contrast to her gown, a soft gauzy crema that fell to the floor, a similarly colored robe slung over her shoulders, bound with silver chain. A silver sash at her waist hid the hilt of her saber, which was the only reassuring thing about this situation.

No matter how hard she tried, it was impossible to not notice him. He stood almost half a head taller than every person here, and the cut of his jaw and curve of his shoulders forced the world to run around him.

Every part of the world, except her. Eventually, as he remained stoically silent, she started to watch him a bit more openly. And he just continued to look away. What kind of game was he playing? Rey glared. He could ask her to dance, but couldn’t make small talk.

She grit her teeth.

“You didn’t tell me you were related to Finn.” She felt, rather than heard, Finn choke on his drink, a sputtering and gasping of air through the Force.

If it was possible, the senator’s hand tightened around her waist. “The intricacies of my family relations aren’t usually on display for the public.”

“I am anything but the public.”

He had nothing to say to that. Rey glanced away. "That so, it's not on my list of casual conversation starters. And of all the people here, you're in a position to know my family better than most."

"Your point?"

"My family has their own opinions of me. If you want them that badly, I'm sure Finn or my mother won't hesitate to tell you everything you want to know."

He was right on that part. Rey knew his family, knew his uncle and Finn, and even came across his mother every so often. But aside from casual, one off remarks, Kylo Ren was hardly a part of them. It wasn't hard to see why. Even dancing with her, one arm around her waist, he kept her at bay, eyes lingering but never probing -- his chin raised with defined ambivalence. 

She didn’t know him. She knew nothing about him at all, and when she looked up out of the corner of her eyes, she still wanted to know nothing about him. But she knew him. There was a hum in the Force that pulsed just out of view. There was a thread that strung between them, not just through the rhythm of the dance, but that wound through darkened paths and hidden streets and when Rey started to follow the thread, she ran into his chest, catching a mouthful of his scent.

He stared at her, eyes wide as she stared at him. Images passed through her mind, the force of which made her want to vomit. The Force leeched and pulled. Rey couldn’t breathe.

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, turning out of his grasp. “But I have to go.”

He said nothing as she left, and somehow that made it all worse. Finn stood from a table as she made her way to the door, a dark haired pilot watching with amusement. But all Rey could feel was him. She felt him as she ran, standing there, watching until she was gone from sight.


	3. An Immediate Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ball through a different lense

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> v short chapter since this was a change-of-POV prompt on tumblr :)   
> i'm gonna try and get a new chapter up soon, so have this in the meantime

Looking back, asking the new Jedi Knight to dance was one of the worst decisions Kylo Ren could have made. 

Not that the dance in itself was miserable. Actually the affair was quite pleasant, the band was rather exceptional, and the entire event was a success (to be expected given the planning prowess of his mother). 

But as he watched Rey brush past they layers of courtiers and senators and general Coruscanti _schutta_ that populate these events, relief permeated the muddied cloud of his thoughts.

Slowly his fingers uncurled, flexing against the strength with which he held his fist. They spasmed and he flexed them over and over as he turned back to the crowds. 

Grabbing a glass of wine, Kylo fiercely ignored the stares that looked to him once they doors slammed behind the young Jedi. Let the senators begin their rumors (which they were particularly apt at generating - most of the senate floor was convinced Kylo’s father was Darth Vader’s apprentice) and let the rest draw their own conclusions. 

But family? He could feel his mother’s curious gaze and the muted interest emanating from Luke. Finn’s dark eyes met his, and Kylo raised his glass in a toast before turning away. 

The Jedi brushed against him, pushing past the shadows and sparking clouds that hounded him in the Force. Kylo Ren belonged in this family of legends, but his abilities lay in a different art. The simple utterance in his cousin’s message brushed against him. 

 _Stay away from her_. 

“Believe me, I’m aware that would be in both of our best interests,” Kylo muttered. Not that anyone heard him (or that there was much hope he would follow his own advice). 

Draining the rest of the glass, he turned away from the all and walked to the wide windows that looked across the star studded cities, and sighed. He should go find a shuttle and get off planet as soon as possible. And never come back. That would be the best thing to do.

But even if he told himself he only asked Rey to dance to watch the irritation on his cousin’s face, he wouldn’t be able to maintain that lie for long. Not to the galaxy, and certainly not to himself.

Taking an opportunity to jab at Finn was never an opportunity he passed up, but standing there in the middle of the room, his hands on her hips while she watched him with keen hazel eyes and parted lips- 

Force, that was the most dangerous place to be.


	4. A Change of Events

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The grumpy senator gets a friend. Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was absolutely devastated this week by the death of our Space Mom, General, and Princess, so I had to write her as my Queen. This chapter is for Carrie and the world and stories she gave to us.

There was no buzzer to let her in. There was no bell to ring to let them know she was there. Not that there needed to be one -- the countless security measures cleared her before she even got on the lift and with each passing level, Rey paced back and forth. 

It would be all right. It would be alright. It was just like when she came over with Finn as his apprentice, when he was called to his aunt’s for tea. It was absolutely no different, except for the fact that Finn was several millions of miles away. 

Her ears popped as the lift continued to rise, slowing as they reached their destination. She had nothing to shoulder except the weight of her robes and the lightsaber at her side. Everything else was brought over before. But despite her hours of preparation, nothing prepared her for what happened when the lift stopped.

Leia Organa, Queen of Alderaan, Hero of the Rebellion, stood on the other side of the door. Rey swallowed. 

“My son is reluctantly waiting for you in the solarium,” she said as Rey stepped through the doorway. “I know you’re already minutely acquainted with him, but let me give you some advice.”

Rey’s ears burned as the older woman turned and looked up to her. She was shorter in stature than Rey remembered, but her bearing was regnal even without a crown on her brow. Brown hair streaked with silver was twisted back into an elaborate bun, held into place with golden pieces pinned into her hair. The state gown she wore with heavy embroidery was exchanged for a simple pair of tunic and trousers, airy and cream colored, with a brilliant blue over-robe belted at the waist. To say that Rey felt out of place in her tan wrappings and brown robes, was completely correct. 

“My son does not like to be told what to do, he does not like to lose and he does not like to be followed. He’s also not a fan of this arrangement, but given that he is my sovereignty's senator, he has no choice in the matter.” A smile quirked her lips. “Even if he doesn’t respect me as his mother, at least he respects my crown. Anyways. I just thought you would like a more personal view into this particular assignment.”

Rey nodded mutely. A soft glow emanated through the force from the formidable woman. It was dim, hidden and reserved, but it echoed a power as strong as her brother. 

“Any further questions?”

Luke made her mission details clear.  _ Keep him alive _ , he said.  _ Out of trouble preferably, but I understand some things are impossible _ .

Finn scoffed behind him.  _ That would definitely be impossible.  _

Luke closed his eyes.  _ You will do fine. We’re here in case you need anything, but for the time being, you’ll be relocated to the Organas _ . 

Rey nodded and tried not to ignore the sinking feeling as she watched the movers pack everything from her cramped apartments. 

_ May the Force be with you, Rey,  _ Luke said as she walked to the shuttle.

Finn gave her a hug and whispered in her ear,  _ You’ll need a lot more than the Force, honestly.  _

Rey fingered the crystal he passed to her hands, still sheltered in her pockets. 

“No, Your Highness.” She understood her mission perfectly.

“Leia is fine,” the queen said briskly. “As long as you’re under my roof, you’re welcome to the use of my house and resources. My son will make a fool of himself - let him, as long as it doesn’t make a fool of me.”

“Absolutely, Your high-” Rey cleared her throat. “Leia.”

“Good.” The queen smiled and nodded once. “I think we’ll get along fine. My nephew told me enough about you, but yes. You’ll do fine.”

If she wasn’t already stunned, Rey would be now. The hero of the rebellion, queen of Alderaan and sister to Luke Skywalker knew of her.  _ And like her _ . There was no reason why she wouldn’t, but there was no reason why she should…  _ Thanks for the good words, Finn _ . 

Rey bowed once and turned to leave when Leia cleared her throat one more time. Then a whisper at her shoulder. “And don’t be afraid to give him hell.”

Rey blinked as the Alderaani queen winked and strode down the hall, one of the servants following behind her. One thin, elderly man waited for her, gesturing down a different path.

“This way, Jedi.”

Rey nodded and straightened and ignored the tingle along her spine that whispered  _ I have a bad feeling about this _ . 

~

“This is a bit unnecessary.”

The solarium was bright and brilliant, the light of the sun sparkling off spaceliner hulls as they flew across the space lanes. The shadows stayed beneath the heavy drapery and underneath furniture, but the senator was a black cloud unto himself. He pulsed and grew, his own shadow lingering after the senator vacated the space. Rey remembered the feel of him in the force, the feeling of his robes under her hands as they danced weeks ago, thick and textured - the creeping line of blood that twisted around him.

“Your uncle and mother seem to think differently,” she said briskly. Her hands were at her side, relaxed, calm, but her fingers traced along the edge of her saber. Reassurance, a habit - that’s all it was. 

“Of course it was them,” Senator Ren muttered. Black hair framed his face, a very small amount of it pulled gently behind his neck. Simple gold chain draped across his chest resting above a thick sash belted with the crest of Alderaan. 

The silence was oppressive. Rey had enough of that and forced herself to look out a window. “What did you do?”

He stared at her blankly, the corner of his mouth falling just so. “What?”

“What could you have possibly done that two of the most powerful people in the galaxy think you need a babysitter?”

He sputtered for a moment before regaining composure. “You’re not my babysitter.”

“And I’m not a child picked up off Tatooine.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not an idiot, Ren.” That made him freeze. 

“I never said you were,” he said. 

“Then tell me what’s going on.” She rolled her shoulders, forcing a meditating breath out her nostrils. Finn would have laughed long and hard if she ever pulled a stunt like that with him. Despite his presence in the Force, the senator didn’t seem to notice. 

“I may or may not have acquired a bounty on my head.” She stared at him blankly as he sipped the Corellian brandy, as if that were as commonplace as discussing the weather. 

“And why is that?” she managed, taking a seat. He didn’t offer and she didn’t ask, but Rey personally didn’t care at this point. 

He failed to offer her a drink too. Not that it mattered. He exhaled before responding. “One of the intermediaries for the First Order Corporation wanted access to the Harkaan moon. Hux came up with an exclusive agreement for mining cerenium ore for the next twelve decades. It’s a component in starship reactors,” he clarified.

“Thank you,” said Rey. 

He didn’t notice. “Highly illegal, completely bypasses the rest of the Molari system and forces trade routes through the outskirts of our system.”

“And you told him no,” Rey finished.

The senator beamed. “Demolished his plans and any further opportunities to mine cerenium ore in that system for the next twelve decades. I suppose I should be proud -- most senators have to work a bit harder to gain a target on their head. But Hux was never one to take a beating quietly. He-”

“Isn’t one to hold grudges?” Rey offered. 

“Prefers to leave adversaries ejected in deep space, is how I was going put it actually.”

_ Kriffing  _ fantastic. Finn’s cousin, the senator and heir to Alderaan -- not to mention Force user whose signature shadowed and snaked across the skies -- managed to get a contract on his head by a man who held exceptional grudges.

“Excellent,” she muttered.

One thick, dark eyebrow rose. She really shouldn’t have marveled at how much the simple motion transformed his face. “Does this please you?”

“Of course not. I’ve been assigned to protect you. And I have every intention of doing so.” If only she could have put more conviction into her voice. Even though her Jedi oaths demanded nothing less, a part of her wanted Hux to succeed. This smug senator might deserve to get taken down a few pegs - not blasted out the airlock mind you, just… A couple of scars might do him good. Thankfully for him, the bit of pride she built up didn’t want to get dashed against the rocks alongside the battered corpse of Finn’s cousin. She’d do her duty.

“Be careful,” he said walking past her. “For a moment, I thought you cared.”

Damn him. 

"And your mother couldn’t protect you?” She fingered the throw with restless fingers, ignoring the sirens in her head. If the Alderaani queen and hero of the republic couldn’t save her own senator and son, what hope did she have? A newly minted Jedi with what, a couple of dead mynocks on her hands? “She’s the queen. Surely she has enough power and sway to keep you alive just for protecting her interests?”

Her gaze lingered down on his hands, pale and nicked with an occasional scar. His nails were perfect, shaped and treated better than her own, but even from here she could just make out the lines of callous that collected on his palms. Rings of gold, one in particular with a heavy-set gem, adorned various knuckles. 

Finn was right. She should have said no. The crystal turned over in her pocket. She was in over her head. She was going to get his cousin killed, and probably herself in the process. Excellent, just excellent. 

A shadow loomed and Rey looked up. She so terribly didn’t belong here. Kylo Ren looked at here momentarily before turning. When he smiled, it was teeth and venom shrouded with soft brown eyes and gilded robes.

“She did. She got you.”


	5. An Explosive Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic isn't dead or not completely, but I wanted to try and get back into it as I get excited for TLJ :D  
> for those of you that have so patiently waited, I can't be more thankful and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> again, feel free to come encourage me to write more of this on my tumblr ([thereminnsonata](https://thereminnsonata.tumblr.com/)) or just say hi! honestly, your feedback is what keeps me going and wanting to write this story, so please please leave a comment or come talk to me on my blog

A lightsaber clattered to the floor, rolling to his cheek. Flashes of white sparks cascaded from the ceiling. A fire burned and grew not that far away. Blinking away the dust and smoke, Kylo struggled to stand, willing his limbs to obey. 

Smoke burned down his throat and flecks of ash stung his eyes until he couldn’t see. The scene in front of him was a far cry from the banquet he saw only hours before: where chaise lounges and opulent cushions padded the floor, only tattered strands and broken, smoldering wood remained. Heavy golden statues of long forgotten rulers were left twisted into molten piles.

He couldn’t stand for long before he was doubled over again, coughing and gasping for breaths. He should have been paying more attention. He should have been more alert. But there was more time for regrets than there were for decisions, but he let himself get complacent. 

But of all nights, tonight shouldn’t have been an issue. He had checked the guest list himself before responding to the attendance request and none of the names were on his usual list of declines. 

And Rey was there, that little Jedi protector his mother sent to him, despite knowing how little he needed one. She was always there in his shadow, always walking and waiting. He could feel her, like a bump under the skin. 

So for the first time in his life, Kyle Ren decided to try to have fun.

And then this happened.

A crack split across the roof and embers and ash and smoldering steel rained down on him. He stumbled forward blindly, reaching out with the Force to find his way. 

_ Rey _ . 

Urgency fueled his steps now, from a source that he couldn’t quite place. 

_ Rey _ . Where was Rey? She wasn’t next to him 

“Kylo!” she had shouted right before the room exploded into blinding light. She was across the room and yet she had the presence of mind to reach out and throw him back. 

If he wasn’t so injured, he would be impressed. 

The roof above him shuddered again, more plaster falling on his shoulders. Larger chunks rained down as he picked across the room.  Most of those on the floor were devoid of any signatures of life and more than not they didn’t resemble the species they were before the blast. He reached out, searching for anything resembling life, anything resembling a twitch in the force and --

_ There _ .

And that was when the ceiling fell. The debris shattered apart with a crack, hurtling towards the center of the room, only to stop with a stretch of his hand. The durasteel piece was heavier than he anticipated and the reach of power highlighted a growing pain along his ribs. 

Straining, he guided them to the floor, around her prone form. Once released, they shattered and shook the floor. But Kylo could only keep an eye on the slowly moving form of the young Jedi, whose heart beat oddly in time with his.

She was waking once he reached her, the fire around them growing, the integrity of the building groaning as more supports failed. Her dress was torn and the gauze wrap was smoldering away, but she looked at him with sudden fire.

The smoke tore at his throat, his voice hoarse and strained. But he staggered over to her, clutching his side. “You,” he said with more relief than he had been intending, “are reckless.”

“You were just blown up,” Rey mumbled, her eyes wide and unfocused. But there was a determination in them that he had to appreciate, as well as the snarl on her lips as she slowly rose to her feet. “And don’t you dare try and blame this one on me.”

“Oh believe me,” Kylo answered with a growl. “I know exactly whose fault this is.”

\-----

_ Earlier that day _ .

\-----

There was a buzz at her door and she barely had time to buzz him in before Kylo strode into the anteroom.

“We have an event tonight,” he said quickly. 

Rey noted the oddly pointed way he said “we” but kept silent. If he wanted to be annoyed that she had to accompany him everywhere, then he could take that up with his mother. She knew he had gone to Leia several times already and each time Kylo Ren came back with a deeper scowl on his brow and each time she stayed in his service, so the Queen must have made her point exceptionally clear. 

Rey really didn’t mind, with the exception of when it came to following him to events. The first time she went at his side, she wore her usual tan robes; they were all she had and she had so many variations of the same cut and shade that she never once thought to vary. But Kylo had taken one look at her when she met him outside the Senate’s chambers and swore. 

She half expected him to hide her under a blanket based on his reaction, but he only ignored her very distinctly for the entire session and then when she woke up the next morning, a tailor was at her door. And two weeks later she had a whole new closet overflowing with fitted fabrics.

“That was uncalled for,” she told him the next morning.

Kylo didn’t even look up from his breakfast. “Did you burn those robes?”

“No.”

Now he looked at her in only very mild surprise. “Why not?”

“Because they’re mine.”

“And these are yours too. And since you are determined to come with me to every function despite my 

“Your mother--”

He glared at her and she stopped and crossed her arms. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll wear those things for functions. But anywhere else, I get to wear my own.”

“Deal,” he said and returned to the muffin on his plate.

This, though, was a different sort of circumstances. Kylo Ren, feared senator with a bounty the size of planet on his head, was going to go to party. Rey didn’t get enough sleep last night to deal with that. 

“What kind of party exactly?” she asked after a pause. 

Rey really disliked his parties. Ever since she came into the Skywalker’s sphere of influence, she had more than her fair share. Finn somehow managed to find a way to get out of them -- when she asked, he just laughed and said it was family privilege -- but Rey wasn’t privy to such an excuse. But at least most of the parties with the Skywalkers were civilized occasions. The ones she frequented with Kylo alone were of a much more boorish nature. 

Kylo straightened his shoulders and sighed, as if the very explanation was a bitter taste in his mouth. “A few mid and core world sons want to shake hands and rub shoulders with some senators. This is their best idea. It happens only every few months and it’s poor face to not show up for a few hours.”

“And you really think now of all times is a good time for you to go to a public party?”

“It’s not public.”

“But people will know you will be there,” Rey pointed out. 

He had no response to that. “Well,” he said at last. “That’s what I have you for, I suppose. Just be presentable. Blend in. If they know I have a bodyguard it will--”

“Only make them laugh?”

He stared at her and for the slightest moment, Rey felt like she crossed a line. Those eyes went hard and pointed and pinned her to the spot. Though she had never seen it to it’s fullest potential, Rey could feel his presence in the Force swell; that tumultuous cloud overflow as he desperately tried to contain in. It reached out, barely touching her, straining against its leash and for not the first time, Rey remembered who she was protecting. 

She cleared her throat and he suddenly blinked, the cloud vanishing. “I should go get ready,” she suggested. 

He swallowed and stepped back and nodded and Rey quickly walked away. 

~

When she met him in the atrium, he looked every bit the part he played. His hair was brushed and parted to the side and delicately braided at varying intervals. Strands of gold were weaved throughout and gold and silver chains of alternating thickness were draped across his chest. Heavy jewels were on his knuckles and thick golden cord braided across his black clothes that were fitted in a way that Rey could hardly consider impeccable -  they were immaculate.

He looked like wealth and power; a tool and it’s wielder. He looked the farthest thing from approachable, but every inch the prince of Alderaan and the senator who spoke her words.

And so Rey definitely didn’t feel like she had underdressed.

“Well?” she said, startling him from his revery and suddenly very unsure how she felt about the way he looked at her. While he was not a talkative man, Senator Kylo Ren always had a word in play. You could tell by the furrow of his brow or the tick of his cheek or how his lip pulled up just so. He didn’t need to say anything, but anyone could see him and know that he was holding them all back. 

And for the first time in her knowing of him, she found him speechless. “What do you think?”

It wasn’t necessarily a dress. It was practical, she made sure of that, but the skirt flared out from her hips in a train that skirted along the floor. The waist was thick, while the top was fitted with thick fabric that was more a training tank than any form of fashionable top. 

Her midriff was bare, but the heavy gauze shawl streamed from her bare shoulders, covering her in a cloud that left everything outlined but left with ambiguity. It fell from her shoulders to her feet, with her bare arms reaching out, spinning against her better judgement. Her lightsaber was a heavy, reassuring weight at her hip, clipped to the wide waist with an attachment she had custom-fashioned for events just as this. Kylo could ask her to blend in, and blend in she would, but her saber would always be at her side. Not even a direct order could keep her from that. 

If the color was white, she would have been a cloud descended to earth, but she asked the tailor for shades of blacks and greys and blues and purples and reds and the layers swirled in the light of a nebula. She was the stars falling to earth and Rey was more than aware that he looked at her like he never had before.

Kylo Ren saw her as an inconvenience. He saw her as a shadow, a thing he had to watch and entertain, while she felt the same way towards him. He was a senator born into the family of galaxy shakers and he was no exception to that bloodline. And who was she to try and intrude? It certainly wasn’t of her own choosing, yet since she came, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he would never see her as anything but one of his uncle’s Jedi sent to bother him.

He said nothing at first and Rey glanced at him expectantly, doing her best to not notice the way the gilded chains lit against his skin or how the layered necklaces highlighted the width of his chest, or the way the flecks of god in his hair looked like starlight.

“It’s,” he said before glancing aside as an aide walked forward, whispering about how the transport had arrived. Kylo cleared his throat and looked back to Rey once again.

“Presentable, I suppose,” he amended before quickly turning around and headed for the lift. 

Rey stood there for a moment, shocked, before following. If she wasn’t riding the high of the weight of his eyes, she could have sworn that the dark coil of him in the Force lightened for just a bit. 

 


	6. Hiatus

To all my readers, thank you for the support for this story.

unfortunately, I’m setting it aside at the moment to focus on some other work and I don’t think I’ll be updating this any time soon. However, this was always an update as I feel like it project, so who knows? You might get a random chapter every now and then ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you you for your encouragement and and comments and kudos and I am thankful for each and every one of you!!

and if you liked this and are bummed it’s halted, please check out my other fics!!

See you on the other side 


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